U.S. patent number 5,887,590 [Application Number 08/908,822] was granted by the patent office on 1999-03-30 for eyelid closure patch.
Invention is credited to John A. Price.
United States Patent |
5,887,590 |
Price |
March 30, 1999 |
Eyelid closure patch
Abstract
There is provided an eyelid closure patch for use by
anesthesiologists to ensure that the patient's eyes are closed
during surgery. The patch consists of a flexible transparent
material which contains a layer of a transparent pressure sensitive
water soluble gelatinous or hydrocolloidal adhesive. The patch has
an adhesive free tab and a cover sheet.
Inventors: |
Price; John A. (Henderson,
KY) |
Family
ID: |
25426283 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/908,822 |
Filed: |
August 8, 1997 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
128/858; 604/294;
604/307; 602/54 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F
9/04 (20130101); A61F 13/124 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61F
13/12 (20060101); A61F 9/04 (20060101); A61F
005/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;602/52,54,57,74
;604/289,294,304,307 ;606/204.25 ;607/141 ;128/858 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Dvorak; Linda C. M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: John Lezdey & Assoc.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A patch for maintaining a patient's eye closed during surgery
which comprises a flexible transparent backing material having a
width to cover the upper and lower eyelids and a length
substantially the length of the eye, at least one non-adhesive tab
portion on an end of said backing material, a transparent pressure
sensitive water soluble gelatinous or hydrocolloidal adhesive
coating on one side of said backing material, and a cover sheet
over said adhesive coating.
2. The patch of claim 1 wherein said backing material comprises a
plastic.
3. The patch of claim 2 wherein said plastic is selected from the
group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, an acrylic polymer
and polyvinyl alcohol.
4. The patch of claim 1 wherein said adhesive comprises a
hydrogel.
5. The patch of claim 1 wherein said adhesive comprises a natural
gum.
6. The patch of claim 5 wherein said gum is karaya gum.
7. The patch of claim 5 wherein said gum is guara gum.
8. The patch of claim 5 wherein said adhesive comprises a
polysaccharide gum.
9. The patch of claim 1 wherein said adhesive includes a
stabilizer.
10. The patch of claim 9 wherein said stabilizer is
non-allergenic.
11. The patch of claim 10 wherein said stabilizer is zinc
oxide.
12. The patch of claim 1 further containing a bottom cover.
13. The patch of claim 1 comprising a multiplicity of strips.
14. The patch of claim 1 in the form of a roll of tear strips.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a patch for placing over the
eyelids of a patient during surgery. More particularly, there is
provided an eye patch which is placed over the patient's eyes
during surgery so as to prevent the drying of the eyes by the
anesthesia.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When patients are under anesthesia during surgery, the patient's
eyes are generally taped shut by the use of ordinary tape. The
taping of the eyes is performed for a variety of reasons. The most
common reason is to protect them from abrasions or cornea drying
out while under anesthesia. The patient does not tear while asleep
so that the eye can dry out especially when under anesthesia. For
the anesthesiologist, this requires tearing a strip of tape while
wearing rubber gloves and gripping the tape to remove it after the
operation. The use of ordinary tape provides a problem for the
patient since the eyelashes can stick to the adhesive and cause
problems.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,339,546 and 4,062,361, which are herein
incorporated by reference, disclose hydrocolloids which can be used
in the adhesives of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,944 to Rice discloses a narrow skin closure
dressing for eyelids comprising an adhesive layer on backing
material, a multi-layered pad covering a portion of the face of the
backing material and an outer layer of the backing material being
free of adhesive. One or more side tabs are provided to assist in
removal. The closure is primarily for use after surgical
procedures.
The prior art closure dressings have the problems that they are
difficult to handle with gloves. They are non-transparent and do
not cover the eyes but only the upper eye lid so that the eyes can
still be unprotected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, there is provided patches for
maintaining a patient's eyes closed during surgery.
The patch of the invention comprises a flexible transparent backing
material having a width to cover the upper and lower eyelids and a
length substantially the length of the eye. The backing material is
covered with a transparent pressure sensitive water soluble
gelatinous or hydrocolloidal adhesive coating on one side except
for a portion forming a tab which is adhesive free. A cover sheet
is placed over the adhesive coating for handling and to maintain
sterility. Advantageously, there is also a bottom cover sheet.
The patches can be provided in strips or in the form of a roll for
easy handling.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an eye
closure patches for use by anesthesiologists to maintain a
patient's eyes closed during surgery.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an eye closure
patch which can be easily removed after use.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an eye
closure patch which can be readily available and easy to use by
gloved anesthesiologists.
These and other objects and advantages will be more apparent when
considered in view of the drawings and the description of the
preferred embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an eye patch of the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the patch of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a top view of the patch of the invention in the form of a
strip; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the eye patches of the invention in
the form of a roll of tear strips.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the patch 17 generally comprises a
flexible transparent backing material 10 which is of a length and
width to cover the eye and is coated with an adhesive coating 12.
The adhesive coating 12 substantially covers the backing material
10 except for an adhesive free portion forming a tab 11 to assist
in removal of the patch. A removable protective sheet 13a is placed
over the adhesive coating 12 to protect the adhesive surface.
Preferably, a lower sheet 13b is also used to encapsulate the patch
17 to keep it sterile.
When cover sheets 13a and 13b are utilized, they can be heat sealed
together along the edges.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the patches of the present invention can
be supplied in the form of a strip 15 with each patch being
separated at an area with perforations to form a tear strip.
For convenience in an operating room, the patches of the present
invention can be supplied in one continuous roll 16 as illustrated
in FIG. 4.
The backing material 10 can comprise any clear plastic material
such as a polyolefin (polyethylene, polypropylene), polyvinyl
alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, and the like.
The backing material 10 is preferably elliptically shaped having a
width of about one inch and a length of about 1-2 inches. However,
the patches can be formed of different sizes for use with children
or adults.
The transparent material is necessary so that the anesthesiologist
can observe the eyes of the patient.
The backing material 10 is provided with an adhesive free tab 11
for use in removing the patch from the eye. The tab 11 is generally
about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length.
The adhesive which is utilized is a transparent pressure sensitive
water soluble gelatinous or hydrocolloidal adhesive which can be
easily removed without sticking to the eyelashes and can be used
with comfort by the patient. A natural or synthetic hydrocolloid
provides sufficient stickiness to cause the patch to adhere
sufficiently during the operation. Suitable synthetic and natural
water soluble hydrocolloids and gelatins include karaya gum, guara
gum, collagen, polysaccharide gum, locust bean gum, powdered
pectin, gelatin, carboxymethyl cellulose and the like.
If desired, the pressure sensitive adhesive can include 0 to 10% by
weight of the usual modifiers, fillers, extenders, antioxidants,
stabilizers and other such ingredients known in the art for
inclusion in such compositions. Thus, for example, plasticizers or
solvents such as mineral oil or petrolatum may be added to improve
adhesive characteristics.
The extenders can include finely divided clays, bentonites,
starches or other inert ingredients normally used in adhesive
compositions. Antioxidants and stabilizers can be used at levels up
to about 3% by weight of the total composition. Suitable oxidants
and stabilizers include bitylzimate, 2,6-ditert-butyl-4 methyl
phenol sold under the trademark IONOL by Shell Chemical Company,
alkylated diphenyl phenols, non-allergenic substances such as zinc
oxide can also be used as a stabilizer.
The adhesive preferably has a Williams plasticity number of about 1
to 4 mm according to the procedure of ASTM 0926-67 (1978).
The cover sheets or films can be prepared from polymeric films such
as polyolefin polymers, vinylidene copolymers, fluorocarbon films,
polyethylene terephthalate, acrylic polymers or the like.
The films or other substrates which may be employed in the
invention may have a thickness of from 0.0005 to 0.05 inch. The
adhesive is supplied to the backing material in sufficient amount
to cause adherence.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and as indicated
above, many modifications and variations of the foregoing detailed
description are possible within the spirit and scope of the present
invention.
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